Nurse Aide
A nursing assistant or nurse aide is part of a multidisciplinary care team that provides important support to patients or residents in a variety of settings. Nurse Aides work in collaboration with nursing staff and care for people by assisting with hygiene, daily activities, and collecting vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse.
Nurse aides help patients of all ages, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in keeping the nurse up to date on vital information about the patients’ conditions.
Nurse Aides must complete a state-approved education program in which they learn the basic principles of nursing and complete supervised clinical practice. Once the Nurse Aide completes their state-approved program and passes their state exam, they become a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) and are permitted to work in their state of certification.
The Nurse Aide program is also useful for people wanting to have employable skills while preparing for nursing or other health-related careers. Employment opportunities require a current State of Colorado Nurse Aide Certification. Nurse Aides can increase their skills and knowledge in behavioral health with Behavioral Health Certificates.
This five-credit certificate is offered at a variety of times and durations to help fit your busy schedule. Classes during the day and evening are available at either our downtown Denver campus (Auraria Campus) or our Lowry location (Health Sciences at Lowry).
Our program meets the Colorado OBRA certification requirements and is approved by the State Board of Nursing; successful graduates are eligible to take the state certification exam.
Our CNAs can go on to become Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Registered Nurses (RN) or take advantage of one of our other health science degrees or stackable certificate programs.
This program is approved by the Colorado Board of Nursing. Upon graduation, you will be eligible to take the Colorado Nurse Aide Certification Exam.
CREDENTIA Colorado NNAAP Customer Service (888) 274 5050
Please call 303.365.8300 for further information regarding future semesters in which you may be interested.
Our classes are offered at two different campuses: Health Sciences at Lowry near Aurora and the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver.
Please note that NUA 1001 and NUA 1070 are co-requisite classes, which means after you have been accepted into the nurse aide program, you must register for both the NUA 1001 & the NUA 1070 classes at the same time.
Some programs and/or courses may require additional fees in addition to the base tuition and fees. High-cost course fees are used to support the maintenance and development of the course labs and are embedded within your general tuition.
View the 2024-2025 Course Specific Fees
Please be aware that this program is five-credits and therefore not financial aid eligible. Due to this restriction, once you have been accepted into the nurse aide program, you must either pay in full or make payment arrangements to pay for the course.
The estimates provided here apply only to Colorado residents and are subject to change. You must live in the state of Colorado for at least one continuous year prior to the first day of classes to be eligible for in-state tuition. The actual costs for the program will vary, depending on the
- tuition & fee changes for each year, *(Students taking classes only at Lowry will not be charged for the same fees as those students taking classes on the Auraria Campus.)
- the amount available from the College Opportunity Fund (COF), and
- cost of immunizations, uniforms, shoes, gait belt, and wrist-watch costs.
Nurse Aide Course Costs
| Tuition & Fees | AMOUNT |
|---|---|
| Resident Tuition | $1,169.50 |
| COF Stipend | $<425.00> |
| * Fees | $358.72 |
| Student Tuition & Fees Cost Sub-Total | $1,103.22 |
Associated Course Costs
| Tuition & Fees | AMOUNT |
|---|---|
| Castle Branch Background Check Package Code: OM22 | $68 |
| Immunizations obtained through Auraria Health Center (TB Skin Test & Flu Shot) | $5.00 |
| Scrubs (Must be ordered through Crazy Scrubs and needs to be caribbean blue color) | $64.00 |
| Gait Belt (required for clinical experience) | $8.00 |
| NNAAP Exam (written) | $50.00 |
| NNAAP Exam (skills) | $85.00 |
| Textbook & Workbook (both are required) | $64.00 |
| Associated Course Cost Sub-Total (approximate) | $310.20 |
| Total Cost of Course (Approximate) | $1,413.42 |
Scholarships are now available for short certificates at CCD. Please visit the scholarship website and see if you are eligible.
**This program is not eligible for federal student aid.**
Scholarships are now available for short certificates at CCD. See if you qualify here. Also view more scholarships and apply.
The outlook for finding employment as a Certified Nurse Aide is high as the field is experiencing a rapid rate of growth. Current projections indicate a growth rate of 7-10 percent (2018-2028).
Currently Certified Nurse Aides in Colorado also make a higher hourly wage than the national average with a starting salary of $15.40/hr and a median income of $19.40/hr.*
A Certified Nursing Assistant can find employment in:
- Long-term care facilities
- Rehabilitation Facilities
- Home-health care
- Residential care Facilities
- Hospitals
The Nurse Aide program is also a useful tool to introduce individuals to the healthcare profession. Many students complete a nurse aide program as a prerequisite for entry to a nursing program, medical program, or physician’s assistant program as it provides students with laboratory learning and clinical experiences.
*Salary is not guaranteed and should be used as a guideline only.
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nursing Assistants and Orderlies (visited August 23, 2020).
| Total of 2019 Graduates | Total Students Employed in their Field of Study | Total Students Who Have Transferred to 4-Year Degree or Other Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 192 | 27 | 17 |
Clinical IDs
- Student ID badges must be worn in class and during clinical.
- Your picture will be taken on the first day of class.
- The cost of your badge is included in your tuition and fees.
NOTE: Lost or damaged ID badges must be replaced before any clinical and may be obtained at $25.00 per replacement.
Required Textbook
Must have both the textbook and the workbook:
- Book title: Hartman’s Nursing Assistant Care - Long Term Care, 5th Edition
- ISBN info: 978-1604250749 (Softcover) or 978-19604250770 (hardcover)
- Book title: Workbook (Hartman’s Nursing Assistant Care - Long Term Care 4th ed.
- ISBN info: 978-1-60425-075-6
You can purchase your book at the Auraria bookstore Tivoli Station, or you’re welcome to buy it somewhere else.
Uniform & Ancillary Items
You can purchase your scrubs and gait belt at any crazy scrub location.
- Scrubs: Caribbean Blue Scrubs (Mandatory for all clinical dates)
- Any color scrub can be worn for class.
- Shoes: Closed-toe, closed-heel, skid-resistant
- Gait belt: No quick-release snaps, only nylon belts
- Watch: Wrist-watch, with a second hand, any color, analog-only (no digital/smartwatches)
NOTE: You must wear your scrubs and clinical ID to each class and clinical.
The Nurse Aide program is a certificate program that prepares students for industry certification in their field. The Nurse Aide program may also be used to fulfill elective requirements towards the A.A.S. in Medical Assisting program as a stackable certificate pathway.
Prepare Your Supplemental Materials
The nurse aide certificate application requires supplemental materials to be prepared.
The supplemental materials include:
- vaccination and medical records;
- background check and drug screen
- course placement determination.
Learn more about each of these required materials and download any related forms below. Please save and name all completed documents using the following format: Last Name – Document Name (ex. “Smith – Prerequisite Courses.pdf”).
Vaccination and Medical Records
Applicants to the nurse aide certificate program are required to submit specific vaccination and medical records as part of their application supplemental materials.
You will need to provide the following records:
- A negative Tuberculosis (TB) skin test OR QuantiFERON (QFT) Gold test OR clear chest x-ray image;
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine;
- Varicella vaccine;
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine;
- Flu vaccine;
- The seasonal flu vaccine is only required of applicants applying to the nurse aide certificate program between the months of October through March.
- Hepatitis B vaccine;
- You must have the initial dose of the three-dose series to begin the nurse aide certificate program.
- COVID-19 vaccine;
- You must have the initial dose of the two-dose series to begin the nurse aide certificate program.
Contact your primary care physician to obtain records for previous vaccinations. You can learn more about each vaccine and test requirement on the Auraria Health Center website. The Health Center can help you obtain any vaccines or tests you may need and provide the required records above.
Course Placement
To be accepted into the nurse aide certificate program, you must determine your course placement in math and English classes.
To determine course placement, you should follow one of these paths:
- Take the math and English placement tests with CCD’s Testing Center.
- Complete the ACT or SAT test to meet the minimum score requirements below.
- Submit transcripts that show previous college classes to CCD’s Testing Center.
To learn more about these processes and course placement determination at CCD, visit the Testing Center website.
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) requires a completed background check and drug screen for admission to the nurse aide certificate program. The Background check and drug screen can only be processed through CCCS’ secure CastleBranch website and are paid for by the applicant. The cost of the background check and drug screen is $68.00
To begin the background check and drug screen, follow the steps below:
- Visit the CCCS CastleBranch website.
- Select “Place Order.”
- Select “Community College of Denver” from the first dropdown.
- From the new dropdown, select the “Nurse Aide” program.
- In the next dropdown, select “I am a new student placing an order for the first time.”
- Review the contents of the background and drug screen package.
- Read and agree to the terms and conditions, then select “Continue.”
- Complete the entire form and complete payment when finished.
Once paid, save a copy of your receipt or save a screenshot of your order confirmation. You will provide the confirmation or proof of payment as supplemental material to your online application.
*You do not need to wait until your background check is complete to finish your online application to the nurse aide certificate program. Once you upload proof of payment or your order confirmation to your online application, the remainder of your background check will be handled by CastleBranch and Community College of Denver. You will be contacted by CCD once the background check process is fully complete.
Once your supplemental materials are prepared, you’re ready to begin your online application. You’ll first be asked to create a new account or log into an existing account if you’ve used the application system in the past. Once logged into your account, you can begin your application.
How to Select the Right Application:
After starting the regular application for admission to CCD, you will be asked to “Select an Area of Interest.” It’s important that you select “Health Sciences Pathway” from the dropdown list. A secondary dropdown will appear below asking you to “Select a Degree or Certificate.” From the list of options, select “Nurse Aide: Nursing Certificate.”
You will upload your supplemental materials after your initial application has been submitted and received by CCD. See “After You Apply” for more details.
After you have completed and submitted your application for the college, you will receive an email notification informing you of one of the following:
- your application is complete and the specifics of the next step, OR
- your application does not meet the minimum qualifications to move forward, OR
- your application is incomplete, you will be notified of outstanding items. NOTE: this may delay the review process and the consideration of your application.
Due to the large volume of applications received, please allow a minimum of 14 days for our office to contact you via email. If you have not been contacted, please reach out to CCDnurseaide@ccd.edu, to determine that the application has been received by our office.
Next Steps
After your complete application has been reviewed, you will be notified of your admission to the nurse aide certificate program.
Your next steps to complete your enrollment include:
- Review class schedules to select the day(s) and time(s) for your courses.
- Please note that the NUA 1001 and NUA 1070 courses must be paired together for the nurse aide certificate program.
- Register and pay for classes. To learn about your payment options, visit the Cashier’s Office website.
- Attend online orientation.
- Obtaining the required scrubs and materials.